Japanese Music List of Famous Bands from Japan

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List of Japan bands, listed by their level of fame. This Japan musicians list includes both bands and solo artists. All famous Japan bands are included, as well as many Japan musicians of underground status. This list of Japan musical artists includes information like what genre the artist falls under, what albums they've put out and more. If you want to know more about these famous Japan bands you can click on their names to learn more about them. Bands from every genre are listed here, including rock, pop, hip-hop/rap, jazz, and more.

The list you're viewing has a variety of bands in it, like LOUDNESS and Boredoms.

If you're wondering, "What bands are from Japan?" or "What is a list of Japan bands?" then this list will answer your questions. (768 items)

1
LOUDNESS is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Glam metal, Progressive metal, Rock music Loudness is a Japanese metal band formed in 1981 by guitarist Akira Takasaki and drummer Munetaka Higuchi. They were the first Japanese heavy metal act signed to a major label in the United ...more

2
Boredoms is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Krautrock, Noise rock, Psychedelia Boredoms is a rock band from Osaka, Japan. The band was officially formed in 1986. The band's output is usually referred to as noise rock or sometimes Japanoise, though their more recent records ...more

3
Hyde is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop music, Pop rock, Alternative rock Hideto Takarai, known exclusively by his stage name Hyde, is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known as vocalist for the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel, as ...more

4
Akira Takasaki is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Rock music, Heavy metal Akira Takasaki is the lead guitarist and founding member of the Japanese heavy metal band, Loudness.

5
L'Arc-en-Ciel is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Neo-progressive rock, Rock music, New Prog L'Arc-en-Ciel is a Japanese rock band, founded in Osaka in 1991. The group has sold over 15 million records and were the first Japanese act to headline at Madison Square Garden. In 2003, they ...more

6
Malice Mizer is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Neoclassical Dark Wave, Synthpop, Gothic rock Malice Mizer was a Japanese visual kei rock band active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by guitarists Mana and Közi, the band's name stands for "malice and misery", ...more

7
Ghost is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Avant-progressive rock, Psychedelic folk, Experimental rock Ghost was an experimental rock group formed in Tokyo, Japan, in 1984.

8
Ikimono-gakari is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
J-pop, Pop rock, Soft rock Ikimono-gakari is a Japanese pop rock band from Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. The group started in February 1999 with Hotaka Yamashita and Yoshiki Mizuno, and was joined by vocalist Kiyoe Yoshioka ...more

9
Bleach is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
D-beat, Punk rock, Thrashcore Bleach was an all girl thrashcore trio from Okinawa, Japan. On June 10, 2009, Bleach announced on their website that they have disbanded. Their final album, Bleach Stone, was released on July 7, ...more

10
The Pillows is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop punk, Power pop, Alternative rock The Pillows are a Japanese alternative rock band formed in 1989. As of 2014, the group has released 19 original studio albums, several EPs and compilations, and over 30 singles. Outside Japan, ...more

11
Sigh is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Progressive metal, Symphonic black metal, Black metal Sigh is a Japanese extreme metal band from Tokyo, formed in 1989. They are credited as being one of the first Japanese black metal bands, when the majority of black metal in early 1990s came ...more

12
the GazettE is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Nu metal, Rock music, Heavy metal The Gazette, originally known as Gazette, is a Japanese visual kei rock band from Kanagawa formed in early 2002. The band is currently signed to Sony Music Japan's VVV Records.

13
Hide is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Glam metal, Progressive metal, Rock music Hideto Matsumoto, better known by his stage name hide, was a Japanese musician, singer and songwriter. He was primarily known for his work as lead guitarist of the heavy metal band X Japan, but ...more

14
Luna Sea is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Rock music, Heavy metal, Pop rock Luna Sea is a Japanese rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986. Due to the use of make-up and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of ...more

15
Tak Matsumoto is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Blues-rock, Pop music, Rock music Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto is a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition to being the guitarist and lead composer for the ...more

16
Maximum the Hormone is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop punk, Nu metal, Rock music Maximum the Hormone is a Japanese rock band from Hachiōji, Tokyo. Their lineup has consisted of Daisuke-han, Nao, Maximum the Ryo-kun, and Ue-chan since 1999. Each member alternates singing lead ...more

17
Tomoyasu Hotei is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Rock music, Music of Japan Tomoyasu Hotei is a Japanese musician, guitarist, composer, singer-songwriter, producer. With a career spanning more than 30 years, Hotei has sold millions of albums and has collaborated with ...more

18
Acid Mothers Gong is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Noise rock, Musical improvisation, Space rock Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career ...more

19
Kagrra, is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Fusion, Rock music, Pop rock Kagrra, was a Japanese visual kei rock band. They were originally signed to the now defunct Key Party Records under the name "Crow". The group changed its name when they signed to PS

20
Ayumi Hamasaki is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop music, Rock music, Electronic music Ayumi Hamasaki is a Japanese recording artist, lyricist, model, and actress. Hamasaki has achieved popularity in Japan and Asia by enforcing her position as an artist and not trying to be forced ...more

21
Galneryus is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Progressive metal, Power metal, Heavy metal Galneryus is a Japanese power metal band, formed in Osaka in 2001 by guitarist Syu and vocalist Yama-B. Originally the only official members, the two utilized several support musicians until ...more

22
Beat Crusaders is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop punk, Rock music, Pop rock Beat Crusaders were a Japanese rock band. During all promotional appearances, their faces are masked by drawings resembling themselves as printed by a dot-matrix printer.

23
Sabbat is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Thrash metal, Black metal, Heavy metal Sabbat is a Japanese black metal band, formed in the early 1980s. On some releases, they showcase a more thrash and heavy influenced sound.

24
Yellow Magic Orchestra is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Hip hop music, Synthpop, New Wave Yellow Magic Orchestra is a Japanese electronic music band consisting of principal members Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto. For their early studio albums and live ...more

25
Schwarz Stein is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Synthpop, Electronic body music, Electronic music Schwarz Stein is a Japanese visual kei electronic music duo formed by Hora and Kaya in 2001, who disbanded in 2004 and regrouped in 2014.

26
Dir En Grey is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Doom metal, Nu metal, Rock music Dir En Grey is a Japanese metal band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. As of 2014, they have recorded nine full-length records with a lineup ...more

27
Namie Amuro is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Urban contemporary, Hip hop music, Eurobeat Namie Amuro is a Japanese pop/R&B singer, dancer, fashion model and actress. She was, at the height of her popularity, referred to as "Teen Queen", "Queen of J-Pop" or ...more

28
Stephanie is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop music, J-pop Stephanie is a member of the musical group, The Grace.

29
Sugizo is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Rock music, Electronic dance music, World music Yūne Sugihara, born Yasuhiro Sugihara is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. Known exclusively by his stage name Sugizo, he is best known as lead guitarist and ...more

30
Merzbow is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Dark ambient, Musique concrète, Noise Masami Akita is a film score composer and a film director.

31
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Ska, Japanese ska, Jazz Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band officially formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of ...more

32
Envy is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Post-metal, Experimental rock, Experimental classical music Envy is a rock band formed in Tokyo in 1992. They are signed to Rock Action Records in Europe and Temporary Residence Limited in North America, though originally they worked with Level Plane ...more

33
Buck-Tick is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
New Wave, Gothic rock, Rock music Buck-Tick is a Japanese rock band, formed in Fujioka, Gunma in 1983. The group has consisted of Atsushi Sakurai, Hisashi Imai, Hidehiko Hoshino, Yutaka Higuchi and Toll Yagami since 1985. In ...more

34
Glay is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop music, Rock music, Pop rock Glay is a Japanese rock band from Hakodate, Hokkaidō formed in 1988. Glay primarily composes songs in the rock and pop genres, but they have also arranged songs using elements from a wide ...more

35
Orange Range is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Hip hop music, Noise rock, Pop music Orange Range is a 5-member Japanese rock band, based in Okinawa, Japan. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. ...more

36
Asian Kung-Fu Generation is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop punk, Rock music, Emo Asian Kung-Fu Generation, typeset as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, is a Japanese alternative rock band formed in Yokohama, Japan, in 1996. For nearly its entire career, the band has consisted of ...more

37
Ezo is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Glam metal, Heavy metal Ezo was a Japanese heavy metal band originally formed as Flatbacker in the spring of 1982 in Sapporo, Japan out of the remnants of two high school bands, Power-Station and Scrap. Ezo has been ...more

38
Antic Cafe is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop punk, Pop music, Rock music Antic Cafe is a Japanese pop rock band formed in 2003 and signed to Sony Music Japan. Their visual image is oshare kei, and they describe their music as "Harajuku Dance Rock". The ...more

39
Flow is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop punk, Rock music, Alternative rock Flow is a Japanese rock band, that formed in 1998 and signed on to Sony Music Japan's Ki/oon Records label. Flow is a five-piece band made up of two vocalists, a drummer, a bassist, and a ...more

40
girugämesh is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Post-metal, Nu metal, Shoegazing Girugamesh is a Japanese visual kei metal band, formed in 2003. The name is sometimes stylized with a metal umlaut as girugämesh and is derived from the Final Fantasy character.

41
Nightmare is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Rock music, Heavy metal, Jazz fusion Nightmare is a Japanese visual kei rock band from Sendai. Formed on January 1, 2000, it has consisted of Yomi, Sakito, Hitsugi, Ni~ya and Ruka for the majority of their career. They enjoyed ...more

42
Spitz is listed (or ranked) 42 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Rock music, J-pop, Power pop Spitz are a Japanese rock band. The group was originally formed in 1987 by four art school students in Tokyo — it consists of Masamune Kusano, Tetsuya Miwa, Akihiro Tamura, and Tatsuo Sakiyama. ...more

43
Inoue Kiyonobu is listed (or ranked) 43 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Shoegazing, Pop music, Trip hop Kiyonobu Inoue, known exclusively by his stage name Inoran, is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the rock band ...more

44
Blood Stain Child is listed (or ranked) 44 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Electro-industrial, Symphonic black metal, Euro-trance Blood Stain Child is a Japanese metal band from the city of Osaka. The band's musical style combines modern melodic death metal with electro-industrial and euro-trance or as they call it ...more

45
Velvet Eden is listed (or ranked) 45 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Rock music, Visual kei, Music of Japan

46
Midori is listed (or ranked) 46 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Noise rock, Experimental rock, Jazz fusion Midori was a four member jazz-punk fusion band formed in 2003 in Osaka, Japan featuring Mariko on vocals, Yoshitaka on drums, Keigo Iwami on bass, and Hajime on keyboard. Their disbandment was ...more

47
Judy and Mary is listed (or ranked) 47 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Pop music, Rock music, J-pop Judy and Mary was a Japanese multi-genre band formed in 1992 in Japan by bassist Yoshihito Onda and vocalist Yuki, with drummer Kohta Igarashi and guitarist Taiji Fujimoto completing the lineup ...more

48
Kitaro is listed (or ranked) 48 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
New Age music, Folk music, Electronic music Kitaro is a Japanese musician, composer and record producer.

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cali≠gari is listed (or ranked) 49 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Noise rock, Rock music, Experimental rock Cali Gari is a Japanese visual kei experimental rock band formed with the concept erotic grotesque. It was founded in 1992 and named after the horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The band's ...more

50
Versailles is listed (or ranked) 50 on the list List of Famous Bands from Japan
Progressive metal, Melodic death metal, Power metal Versailles was a Japanese visual kei metal band formed in 2007 by vocalist Kamijo and guitarist Hizaki. After recruiting bassist Jasmine You, drummer Yuki and guitarist Teru, they performed ...more